premium finance

What premium finance does

Premium Finance Limited is a privately held, Zambian-owned digital finance company headquartered in Lusaka, licensed and regulated by the Ministry of Finance. The company operates a digital-first lending platform that delivers six core products — personal loans, payroll-backed loans, invoice discounting, mobile money agent float financing, agricultural loans, and SME/corporate business loans — to individuals, salaried employees (including civil servants), smallholder farmers and agri-businesses, mobile money agents, and SMEs/corporates across 37 rural locations in Zambia. The underlying technology consists of an online application and KYC journey (a four-step process of form completion, document upload, compliance review, and product matching/disbursement), a public loan calculator covering ZMW 1,000-100,000 tickets over 1-24 month tenors, and direct phone and email channels; no mobile app, SDK, or AI/ML components are disclosed.

The business model is transactional interest-and-fee based lending, with the disclosed indicative rate of 6% p.a. likely understating the effective yield that applies to thin-file borrowers in the Zambian microfinance market. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the website, phone, email, and a rural field presence, and the GTM motion is explicitly digital-first with online KYC. Customer engagement is anchored on financial-inclusion messaging (48% women, 15% youth across 15,000+ customers, 23,000+ cumulative loans disbursed) and individual loan testimonials. The company is bootstrapped — no institutional funding, acquisitions, partnerships, or public capital markets activity is disclosed — and operates with a 30-employee dedicated finance team.

Name

premium finance

Legal name

Premium Finance Limited

Website

https://premium.co.zm

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Premium Finance Limited is a Zambian Ministry of Finance–licensed digital lender offering personal, payroll-backed, invoice discounting, mobile money agent float, agricultural, and SME business loans, serving individuals, salaried employees, farmers, agents, and corporates across 37 rural locations in Zambia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Consumer & SME Lending

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Lending — Specialty Finance (Consumer/SME Lending Platforms) (FSAHAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Credit / Direct Lending (FSAAAHAG), Supply Chain Finance (Trade Credit, PO/Inventory Financing) (FSAKAGAE)

Keywords

• Digital lending
• Consumer credit
• SME financing
• Agricultural loans
• Microfinance

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest and Fees: Revenue generated from interest charged on loans including personal loans, payroll-backed loans, agricultural loans, business loans, invoice discounting, and mobile money agent float financing. Interest rates vary based on credit profile and eligibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Premium Finance is a Zambian digital finance company that provides accessible, affordable, and flexible credit products — including personal loans, payroll-backed loans, invoice discounting, mobile money agent float financing, agricultural loans, and SME/corporate business loans. Loans range from ZMW 1,000 to ZMW 100,000 with terms of 1–24 months and an indicative interest rate of 6% p.a., delivered through a digital-first KYC onboarding process to individuals, mobile money agents, farmers, SMEs, and corporates across Zambia.

Product overview

Premium Finance is a digital finance company offering a portfolio of six core loan products: Personal Loans, Payroll-Backed Loans, Invoice Discounting, Mobile Money Agent Float Financing, Agricultural Loans, and Business Loans (SMEs and Corporates). These products are designed as accessible, affordable, and flexible financial solutions targeting individuals, mobile agents, farmers, SMEs, and corporates across Zambia. The company operates a digital-first application process with a KYC journey that includes online form submission, document uploads, compliance review, and product matching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Loans Accessible and affordable personal credit for everyday needs and financial stability, with flexible repayment structures and a digital-first onboarding process. Loan amounts ZMW 1,000–100,000, terms 1–24 months.
• Payroll-Backed Loans Structured loans for salaried employees with repayment aligned to payroll cycles, featuring predictable terms, employer/employee number verification, and fast processing support.
• Invoice Discounting Working capital financing allowing businesses to access immediate funds against qualifying invoices from credible buyers, with flexible drawdown structure supporting business continuity.
• Mobile Money Agent Float Financing Dedicated financing for mobile money agents to maintain sufficient float and grow daily transaction capacity, with agent-focused terms and flexible repayment schedules.
• Agricultural Loans Flexible financing for farmers and agri-businesses supporting seasonal needs and long-term growth, including input financing and business expansion support with rural-inclusion repayment options.
• Business Loans (SMEs and Corporates) Growth financing solutions for SMEs and corporate businesses across priority sectors, providing working capital, expansion support, and structured facilities with flexible product structuring.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ customers served including 48% women and 15% youth
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ZANACO: Zambian commercial bank offering personal, SME, and agricultural lending. A broad incumbent competing for the same Zambian customer segments with a deposit-funded balance sheet advantage.
• Zoona: Zambian-headquartered mobile money and agent network operator. Comparable in float- and agent-based service delivery to mobile money agents — a Premium Finance target segment.

Emerging players

• JUMO: Digital financial services platform providing credit and savings products to underserved customers in emerging markets. Comparable technology-driven inclusive finance thesis though currently focused on bank-led product distribution.
• FairMoney: Digital consumer and SME lender originating primarily in Nigeria with expansion across Africa. Comparable mobile-first consumer credit model with data-driven underwriting.

Direct peers

• Branch International: Mobile lending platform operating across Africa using smartphone-based credit scoring to underwrite unbanked borrowers. Comparable digital-first approach to serving informal-segment customers in Africa.
• Letshego Financial Services: Pan-African inclusive finance group offering micro-lending, payroll-backed loans, and SME financing across multiple African markets including Zambia. Directly comparable in product mix and target customer segments.
• Musoni Microfinance: Digital microfinance institution serving SMEs and individuals in East Africa with mobile loan disbursement. Comparable business model of digital lending to underserved borrowers using mobile channels.
• Bayport Financial Services: Specialist in payroll-backed and consumer credit across Africa. Operates in Zambia and shares the same salary-deduction lending model and SME expansion thesis as Premium Finance.
• M-KOPA: Mobile-first pay-as-you-go financing platform serving underbanked customers across East and Southern Africa. Comparable in digital-first credit distribution to underbanked customers, though primarily asset-financing.
• Madison Finance Company Zambia: Zambian-licensed microfinance institution providing consumer and SME loans. Closest domestic competitor in terms of regulatory framework, ticket sizes, and target borrowers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premium-finance-limited-zm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about premium finance